Lord of the Rings Hobbiton at Night Ringwraith Conversation
God, I don't think any game level has ever scared me more than this. The first time I played it I was on it forever because I was too scared to even move. I had Frodo huddled by a hobbit hole for the longest time. And when I got the last Ringwraith away from the bridge I was just throwing rocks beyond him forever because I was afraid he would come back. I got used to the level though and would just mess with the Ringwraiths haha. I would throw rocks at them and deliberately lure them toward me.﻿ OMG me too! It didn't help knowing you were completely defenceless against them, and even the slightest sound would attract them. But for me personally, what makes that level so scary is how much Hobbiton changes overnight. I was so accustomed to the bright and cheerful atmosphere that existed during the day that it scared me just how dark and treacherous it became at night, particularly with the Ringwraiths around. That was always why I dreaded getting the ring before heading back outside. When I picked it up, that dark and deep booming sound always unnerved me. It reminded me of what I was about to head into.﻿ Yeah its almost like the Ringwraiths have brought the darkness with them into Hobbiton. I had that too with getting the Ring. And then when you get outside you can just feel that something isn't right.﻿ I loved this game as a kid and I have since played series like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, but none of them have even gotten close to creeping me out as much as this level did when I was little. As much as I love the LOTR movies I actually think this game did a better job of conveying the creepiness of things like the Black Riders and the Barrow Downs as they were described in the books (hell, the Barrow Downs weren't even IN the movies). Haha I also did the same thing with hiding near the hobbit hole, for about 10 minutes! Had to get my mum to come and sit in the room with me as I beat the level in the end (bear in mind I was like 8:)) and I used to dread picking up the ring and going outside. It was only after I played the game a couple times I realised the Black Riders had REALLY shitty A.I. and were easy to mess with and get past I actually enjoyed this level, also how goofy the dialogue was if you actually did get caught ("Get away! Stay back!"). Having said that I think it was a good bit of game design to start the game off in the shire in the day when it was relaxed and happy, then having you there at later at night when it was creepy and menacing, makes you think of how places can change at night, tho luckily there's no Black Riders wondering around town after dark irl, usually just drunk people.﻿ I've been playing the game again and there is still no more terrifying moment in any game I've played than right after you say goodbye to Mr. Gamgee and you hear the Black Rider's horse neighing in the distance and the hooves clattering up the path. I remember the first time I played the game I just had no idea what to do. It's almost like a "Get off the road!" moment like in the films. You're looking down the road and you want to run away but at the same time you feel drawn towards the darkness that's creeping towards you. Story wise this game is a bit stale, but the game totally makes up for it with the very well executed atmosphere. It's interesting how during the day in the Shire it feels so relaxing and like nothing can go wrong but as soon as you pick up the ring everything just flips. There's an eerie silence as you proceed through Bag End towards the door. You go outside and all of a sudden the Shire feels like the most menacing place in Middle-earth, even before you see the Black Rider. It's like you can feel the Black Riders have arrived even before you see them. It feels like Hobbiton doesn't normally feel like this at night. You stand there bewildered that this is the same quaint, dreamy place that you were in earlier. And then all of a sudden you're creeping around fearing for your life as you cower from the shadows of these dark, menacing horsemen.﻿ Ironically enough you had to stay in the shadows to avoid their shadows. I guess the Black Riders were, to quote SpongeBob, "an advanced darkness".﻿ They're just standing there MENACINGLY.﻿ Yeah the sight of the one guarding the bridge and the last one guarding the road to Farmer Maggot's house still makes me shudder. And when they're standing right over you and you're just cloaked in their darkness. Funny story, the very first time I played the part in Hobbiton at night, I was so scared and so desperate to make my escape that I just ran headlong over the bridge into the clutches of the Black Rider without even seeing him. I was like "what? There's ANOTHER one?!?!?"﻿ Yes, I definitely agree. This game was great at capturing the atmosphere it wanted.﻿ That moment left me feeling so helpless. I actually started panicking when I noticed Gamgee was gone after the cutscene had ended, and that panic intensified when I heard the Ringwraith's horse neighing in the distance. My mind was screaming "Don't leave me!" The first time, I had no plan, I didn't know what to do. I was literally too scared to do anything. It took me a few tries before I came up with the idea to hide beside the hobbit hole.﻿ I think the makers of the game really knew what they were doing. What accentuates the panic is the fact that it seems like the Black Rider has left and Frodo just says goodbye to Gamgee so casually. So you've been relaxed and then all of a sudden you hear a demon on a horse coming up the road unseen. I just love talking about this haha. To explore fear without being in real danger is so fascinating. It's amazing what games can do. They can make fear almost pleasurable.﻿